I really have some
inspiration this week! But no one ever reads this story, do they? It would be
nice if someone did…well, enjoy!

Zataki sat on the ground,
his eyes never leaving the sword. He leaned forward, chin in hand, meditating
on the event just revealed. Who was that girl? Why wasn't the sword in the
hands of its owner—no, not owner, for he was the true owner—that girl?
He knew she still had a part to play.

Arashiko blinked, "How do
we know where we're going?"

Noboru playfully tapped the
side of his nose. "Oh, you'll just know." Secretly, he knew his brother's exact
whereabouts. Now that the sword was awakened and freed, it was calling all its
masters. Wherever it was, that's where they'll be.

Kaoru stopped straightening
her already-spotless room and looked around. "Did somebody call me?" Silence.
But someone, something had called her, a voice as soft as a whisper but as cold
as ice. She tried to shake it off but it began to tug at her. Now she could
hear the icy voice inside her head, telling her where to go. She dropped her
duster and headed out the door.

Arashiko was feeling the
same tug, hearing the same voice. She looked over at Noboru. "C'mon, follow
me."

Zataki descended to Earth,
concealing the sword beneath his heavy trench coat. He moved slowly through the
crowded streets, looking for the girl his Aoku had revealed. A flash of blonde
here, a blue-eyed girl there, but the qualities never completely fit. There was
always something not quite right. He turned the corner—and there she was:
young, round, blonde, and blue. She was looking around with obvious hesitance,
as if she didn't know why she was there. Zataki smiled and slid into the
shadows. A girl's innocence led to her vulnerability.

Kaoru sighed and panned the
street once more. She knew that whoever had called her was here. Out of the
corner of her eye she saw a dark figure emerge from the shadows. She let out a
little squeak of terror and began to run, but was stopped by a hand on the
shoulders.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean
to frighten you, pretty one."

Kaoru looked up into the
face of her captor. Gentle yellow eyes smiled out of a sharp, lean face. Spiky
black hair stuck out at all angles, giving this mystery man an almost dangerous
look. But Kaoru did not see any danger; she was locked in his eyes.

"Hi…"

The man smiled at her. "I'm
Kiritsubo Aki," he said, extending his hand, "and you are? Besides beautiful,
of course."

Kaoru blushed. She could
get use to this! "I am Hanayashi Kaoru. Nice to meet you, Kiritsubo-san."

Arashiko's heart was
palpitating and a layer of sweat plastered her bangs to her forehead. It was
calling, closer, closer!

Noboru kept a firm grip on
his axe handle. He could smell Zataki…

Zataki took an ominous step
forward. "The pleasure is all mine, Hanayashi-san."
His fingers gripped the handle of the precious weapon concealed in his coat. He
ignored the pain long enough to pull it out and plunge it into the soft flesh
of her diaphragm. The girl let out a pitiful cry of pain and stared up at him
with shocked and tearstained eyes.

"KAORU!" Arashiko suddenly
appeared, riveted with surprise.

"Zataki…" Noboru snarled.
With sudden brutish fury, he charged at the evil man, swinging his great axe as
if it were a toy. Zataki's yellow eyes filled with triumph and he quickly
vanished. The blade of the immense weapon disappeared farther into Kaoru, the
point clashing with the brick siding in a shower of sparks.

Arashiko knelt, pulling the
beloved weapon from her friend, feeling hot tears of sadness and anger well up
in her eyes. "Kaoru-chan…"

Arashiko was filled with
fury. If she hadn't taken the sword, Kaoru wouldn't be hurt. She furiously
flung the weapon with all her might.

The sword flew into the air
and stopped, poised above them. In a flash of brilliant light, black and white.
Two swords now dangled above them silently. Arashiko stood still, her eyes
glued to the split weapon. Then another flash of light and the sword became
whole once more.

Arashiko turned to Noboru
expectantly, but the tall man's attention was on Kaoru. His face filled with
concern as fresh blood gushed from the wound.

"We need to get her help."
He gingerly picked the wounded girl up off the ground and began to run.
Arashiko looked at him in disbelief.

"Where are you going? You
can't just walk into the nearest emergency room! 'Help me,
this girl has been stabbed by an evil man with a magic katana! I can't tell you
anything about him because his disappeared into thin air soon after the attack
but—" A glare from Noboru shut her up.

"Just follow me, Arashiko."

The trio ran down a dark
alley near the pier. Noboru knocked on a large wooden door and waited anxiously
for a response. Finally a tiny man appeared, glaring up at them suspiciously
through thick glasses.

"Mei akiea Noboru?"

Arashiko raised an eyebrow.
What had this nutcase been smoking? She looked at Noboru to see his reaction.

The suspicious little man
squeaked and ushered them in, glaring at Arashiko as she passed.

Arashiko squinted in the
darkness. How the hell did the creepy little thing see? As her eyes finally
adjusted, she found herself looking at a room most fitting for its owner. Musty
bookshelves lined drab gray walls in the cell-sized room, groaning under the
intense weight of moldy old books. Broken tea mugs were scattered all over,
some of them completely covered by fuzzy mold. Arashiko was afraid to touch
anything, lest she awaken an army of dust bunnies.

The tiny man cleared off a
table set in the middle of the room and gestured to Noboru. Kaoru shivered as
her skin came in contact with cold metal; then she lay deathly still. Arashiko
took one pale hand into her own. So cold…

"Arashiko,
put the sword down."

Arashiko jumped out of her
reverie at the sound of Noboru's voice. She gave him a nervous smile and began
to place the sword down.

As soon as Arashiko lifted
her hand, Kaoru's body jerked. She sat up, chest first, head back, like a
puppet on a string. An ethereal glow surrounded her and slid down the table.

Arashiko watched her
transformation in silence; she had seen this before. The long curls, the
electricity underneath her friend's skin—it wasn't a surprise. She didn't react
until Kaoru's hand shot forward, reaching for the sword.

Arashiko immediately dove,
snatching the weapon out of Kaoru's reach. The sword hummed with energy, and
for a split second Arashiko felt a resistance to her touch. Then the sword fell
silent and Kaoru changed back into her normal state. She flopped back against
table and lay still once more.

The little man squeaked in
shock and chattered to Noboru for a good five minutes, gesturing first towards
Arashiko and then to Kaoru. Noboru merely nodded, sometimes grunting in
agreement or disagreement.

Arashiko stood there in
silence, letting her thoughts whirl around her. Why did Kaoru transform? She
didn't unsheathe the sword. Why was the creepy little dude so excited about the
transformation? What did it all mean?

"Ara-chan?"

Arashiko whipped around and
came face to face with a pair of blue eyes, filled with confusion. "Kaoru!"

The girl sat up easily and
shook her head. "I just had the weirdest dream. But now I don't remember…oh my
god! Am I losing my memory? Maybe I'm like that one woman I saw on TV who lost
her memory and had to be hypnotized and then had her life ruined because she—"

"—Kaoru, shut up," Arashiko
said with a relieved smile. It was good to have her friend back. "Come on,
let's go home."

As she turned around,
Arashiko didn't see how Kaoru's eyes lingered on the weapon, or the unnaturally
evil grin that spread across Kaoru's delicate face.

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